Last month, the Dillon County Animal Shelter began an innovative, life-saving program almost unheard of in a small, rural, and often overcrowded and under-staffed animal shelter. Through the joint efforts of the Shelter staff, Friends Helping the Dillon Shelter, and the Humane Society of Dillon County, fifteen dogs who had been diagnosed as heartworm positive were selected for fast-kill heartworm treatment. Without this expensive medical treatment, these dogs would have been almost unadoptable and would have been doomed to a painful death.
Amazingly, these three groups together raised over $7,000 to fund this remarkable program. Following is a list of the generous sponsors: ABC Self-Storage, Anderson Brothers Bank, Christine Coudrey, Dillon City Council, Dillon County Council, The Dillon Herald, Maria Restrepo Forte, Charlotte Gooch and Jean Ray, Judith Huggins, Humane Society of Dillon County, KJ’S IGA of Dillon, Manning Baptist Church, Patti and Bo McInnis, Henry Talmadge Rogers, Emily and Charles Stonerock, and Paula Wilson. Special thanks are also extended to Diane Rogers of Dillon and Dayton, Ohio, for her contributions both financial and inspirational for this project. The three groups would also like to thank the many others who contributed in part for the care of these dogs. Every contribution has been appreciated. We are also grateful to Animal Aid Rescue of Roswell, Georgia, for their donation of 15 Kuranda beds to ease the discomfort of the cold, concrete floors and Kong toys for them to play with. Because of the weight of the dogs chosen, the cost of each dog’s treatment was far more than the requested $300 per dog. Also, preliminary and post-treatment maintenance proved to be much more costly than anticipated, and the group plans to request $400 per dog for future projects. There are actually many dogs at the Shelter now who are also heartworm-positive and need medical attention.
But the treatment program has been a tremendous success. So far, two of the dogs, Shep and Dee, have gone to rescue. Three more are scheduled for rescue. All of the dogs are in the rest period phase of the treatment where they must be kept quiet and calm. They will be tested for heartworms at intervals, and hopefully, after several months they will test completely free of this dreadful, but highly-preventable disease.
This project is just one indication of how much the conditions at the Dillon County Animal Shelter have improved. For a small, rural shelter, this facility is responsible for an astounding number of animals. In three years, almost 10,000 dogs and almost as many cats have come through the Dr. Kenneth Huggins Building. The public must realize that any shelter simply by definition is a terrible, lonely, and terrifying place for any animal. The Shelter staff have to deal with heartbreaking situations, and they witness far too many examples of uncaring owners and animal cruelty. They will never be able to find good homes or reliable rescues for all the cats and dogs. All the groups involved in this project would like to emphasize to the general public that the only real solution to Dillon County’s homeless animal problem is a successful spay/neuter program. The Humane Society of Dillon County sponsors a spay/neuter program for pet owners who receive some form of government assistance. Applications for vouchers for a free spay/neuter procedure at the Dillon Animal Hospital are available at the Dillon County Animal Shelter on Old Latta Highway across from the Detention Center. This project is funded by the Humane Society of Dillon County. Volunteers work very hard to raise money for this program, and donations can be sent to the Humane Society of Dillon County, 4160 Glasdrum Drive, Little Rock, SC 29567 or Pay Pal to the Humanesocietyofdilloncounty@gmail.com. (Adv.)